Old faces
by Millipher Steerus
Summary: What if Ian Rider wasn't dead? What if Alex was thrown into the world of espionage and spy's all before Stormbreaker? And what if the one thing Alex had thought he had lost never went at all? My first fic so be kind!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

Alex dropped his bag in the corridor. It had been a long day. First a maths test, and then that horrible lunch time with Ryan Adams. "Alex, don't leave your bag there." Alex sighed and picked his bag up once more.

"Put it in your room. You can't just leave it in the hallway," Jack Starbright reasoned in her strong American accent.

"Sorry Jack," Alex trudged his way upstairs. Bag over shoulder.

***AR***

Ian heard the front door open. He looked down from the classified document in his hand. Jack and Alex were back. "Alex, don't leave your bag there," he heard Jack tell his nephew. Alex huffed in annoyance. Bad day, thought Ian.

Alex soon made his way upstairs. Ian put the document away in the top draw of his desk, locking it as he did so. He then left his office. "Hey Alex," Ian said, meeting his Nephew in the corridor.

Alex grunted something in reply, which sounded like a "hi Ian."

Ian hoped that Alex wasn't turning into a teenager early. He was only ten! "Good day at school?" Ian followed Alex into his room. He could kind of guess the answer though.

"It was alright." At least he'd managed words this time.

Ian lent against the doorframe to Alex's room. "That bad huh," he said whilst raising an eyebrow.

Alex dumped his bag on his bed and took his school jumper off. "I think it was the maths test that made it so bad," he said, gathering that his Uncle wasn't going anywhere without an answer of some sort. And he wasn't too keen on telling him about Ryan.

"I thought you were good at maths?"

"Doesn't mean I like it."

Ian smiled, "fair point." Alex left his room. Ian trailed behind. "Look, Alex. I've got some work to do, but once it's finished we have the whole evening to ourselves. Well, ourselves and Jack."

Alex smiled for the first time that day, "Sounds great."

Ian smiled back. "See you in a bit then," and he disappeared back into his office.

Alex made his way downstairs. "Why are you so happy?" Jack questioned as he bounced into the front room. He shrugged in reply and jumped onto the front room sofa. Alex flicked the remote, turning the telly on. It was the usual CBBC programmes.

"Budge up," said Jack, carrying a bowl of Coco Pops. Alex moved his legs so that Jack could sit down next to him. "What's on today?" She asked. Alex smiled. Jack was the only adult Alex knew who enjoyed kid's programmes; even Alex thought they were boring at some point. He smiled when remembering how Ian had once described her, "a big kid." That, thought Alex, was the best description of Jack. It summed her up in one.

"It's Ooglies at the moment," said Alex, pointing at the screen and the toothbrushes currently dancing. "Later M.I High is on." Alex watched as Jack's face filled up with excitement. It was definitely one of their favourite shows. Not because it was particularly good. In fact, it was terrible. That was what made it so enjoyable. Alex and Jack would laugh hysterically throughout the entire show at the shear ridiculousness of it.

"Great!" Jack exclaimed, pulling her feet up on to the sofa.

***AR***

Ian went over the document in front of him again in his head. He was a scientist, married with two children. He was American, so he had to have an accent. He was born in Texas and grew up there. There were lots of insignificant details he had to memorise, down to his favourite colour. Everything and everything was important in order for him to not blow his cover.

He still hadn't told Alex about the next assignment, he found it hard every time. It broke his heart every time when he saw Alex's face fall after telling him he was leaving for another 'meeting'.

Ian ran his hand down his face. He was tired. He picked the document up again, going over it once more. He was going to have to go over the science. He sighed again. He was going to have to convince people he was a scientist, and he knew nothing about - Ian looked down at the document in front of him…that? Nano technology.

He had a book on Nano tech downstairs. MI6 had sent it in the post. It had arrived in an Amazon package (so like MI6). Ian sometimes wondered if they got kicks out of doing stuff like that. He'd once been down the park with Alex playing football and a dog walker had left a message for him on the park bench. Hadn't these people ever heard of phones? They obviously had, Ian just got the impression that they thought phones were too out of their league. Who uses phones when you can get a random dog walker to leave a message for you on a park bench? In Morse code as well.

Ian stood up, wincing slightly as his leg screamed in protest. It still hadn't quite gotten over the bullet ricochet from that mission in Cairo. He left his office and made his way down the stairs. Ian smiled as he heard his nephews and Jack's laughter coming from the front room. He paused in the doorway and watched them.

They appeared to be watching some CBBC programme on the telly. There were some kids in a school running down a corridor; they appeared to be chasing someone.

Ian went over to the front door where the package had been left, he picked it up. On his way back to the stairs he heard Jack and Alex laugh again. He paused in the doorway of the front room once more, leaning on the doorframe.

"It's so stupid!" Alex exclaimed. Jack was still laughing.

Alex then noticed Ian. "What are you watching?" Ian asked, staring at jack who was still laughing like a maniac.

"M.I High." Alex replied. "It's about these school kids who are spies. It's just so unrealistic it's hilarious." Ian looked at the screen. There was a kid – who he supposed was one of the spies having a fight with a bad guy in a kitchen. It looked like he was fending him off with a bowl of cabbage. A smile broke out on Ian's face. It was pretty funny.

Jack had managed to gain control of herself now. "Ian," she said, "If you were a spy would you use a carrot to fend off a bad guy?"

Ian laughed slightly, at the thought of him fighting someone with a carrot or at the fact he was actually a spy, he didn't know. "No I don't think I would." Although, now he thought about it, Smithers had made some weird stuff in the past. Ian could imagine him making a carrot with a hidden razor blade. Or something along those lines at least.

"The whole programme is unrealistic Jack," said Alex. "I mean it's not like MI6 would ever hire children as spies, would they?"

Ian then thought of Alan Blunt; the man who had signed an order for many people's deaths all from the confines of his office, and without even batting an eye lid. Ian was sure that if he ever had good reason to, or ever found a child good enough for the job, he would. Without batting an eye lid. His eyes then fell on Alex and a sickening feeling appeared in his stomach. Blunt had expressed interest in him before, he'd tried to pass it off as being friendly, but seeming as Blunt was never friendly, it had been very obvious. Then again, who wouldn't be interested in the son of John Rider?

But Ian knew he would never let Blunt get Alex. The life of a spy was lonely; he didn't want that for his nephew. He'd sworn to himself that he would protect Alex whatever.

He did know that he was also probably part of the cause of Blunt's interest in Alex. Hell, he had practically been training him. But it was all Ian knew. He'd been landed with the responsibility of a baby at the age of 19. He knew nothing about child care but could tell you the twelve best ways to break inside a heavily fortified building and take out the guards. He could tell you how to pick someone's pocket without them even noticing. But he didn't know anything about child raising.

So Ian taking Alex on rock climbing holidays had seemed like a good idea because it was what he knew. And it wasn't like Alex didn't enjoy doing those things. When Ian had asked him if he wanted Karate lessons he'd practically skipped around the house, imitating Jackie chan.

He had also enlisted Alex in Karate lessons for protection. Alex was Ian's weak spot. And Ian had a lot of enemy's. Alex didn't know how many times he'd nearly been kidnapped. The burglary last year hadn't just been a simple break in. Thank god Alex had been at football practice.

"They wouldn't hire kids." Jack said. Ian wished he could be as certain as Jack sounded.

Alex laughed as the kid on telly squirted ketchup at the bag guy. "If they really wanted to hurt each other, they wouldn't be fighting like that!" He pointed at the telly.

Ian smiled, "You've obviously never seen any old batman programmes." Ian said.

"Oh yea," said Jack. "They are funny. I'm going to youtube them after this."

"I best get back to work," Ian said whilst gesturing to the package in his hands. Ian turned to leave and then paused. "Oh, and Jack."

Jack turned to face him. "I think you should lay of the Coco Pops for a bit."

Alex laughed whilst Ian made his way back up stairs to his office and the document waiting for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

MI6 were careful. There was no underestimating that. So it came as a great shock to Alan Blunt when he found out that several classified documents were missing from the impenetrable building that was the Royal and General bank. The entire organisation had failed to notice the absence of the files until Blunt had requested a specific one. They had no idea how long they'd been missing.

Blunt was sat behind his desk, rubbing his eyes from behind his glasses. "Watson," he growled, addressing the man who was stood opposite his desk. "I want to know exactly what's missing. When it went missing and why, all before the hour is out!"

"Yes Sir," the man replied, leaving the office swiftly.

***AR***

Ian Rider was currently unaware of the mayhem going on at the Royal and General. Even though it appeared one of the documents that had been taken was in fact everything the Royal and General had on him. Everything anyone may or may not want to know about the young spy all constricted to several A4 pages that were currently with the wrong people.

Ian sighed, finally finishing his preparation for the upcoming mission. He stood up from his desk, stretching slightly and then made his way downstairs.

Alex and Jack were still watching telly when he entered the room. Alex looked up, "You finished," he asked. Ian nodded in reply and Alex leapt up. "Great! What are we going to do?"

Jack turned the telly of and turned around in her seat. "Well," said Ian, "I was kind of hoping you'd have thought about it."

"Ummmm," said Alex, "not really. How about…I dunno…"

Ian rolled his eyes, "Brilliant Alex." His nephew just shrugged in reply.

"How about we go bowling," said Jack. "There's that new bowling alley that just opened not far from here."

"Sounds cool," said Alex. A smile appeared on his face, "not too challenging for Jack."

"Hey!" Jack threw a pillow at him but Alex was able to duck out the way in time.

Ian laughed slightly, "Alright, looks like bowling then."

***AR***

"Sir, these are all the missing files." Blunt looked down at the piece of paper that had just been handed to him.

Blunt scanned through the names, The Dorson case, operation Klimt, the Gobby case… there were ten files in total missing.

He looked up at Watson. "All these files have a link to Scorpia." He looked down at the list again and re-read the last file missing. Rider, Ian. "Contact Rider immediately, if they have his file they have everything on him."

Watson nodded, leaving the office once more.

***AR***

"Alex, hurry up!" Jack yelled up the stairs.

"Just a sec," Alex relied. He was currently trying to find his trainers. Where the hell where they? Why was it that whenever he needed anything it was always unlocatable? He bent down to look under his bed.

Ian was waiting by the front door. Him and Jack were both ready and had been for the past minute now. Ian watched Jack as she drummed her fingers against her leg. Patience was definitely not a strong point for Jack. He watched her as she impatiently blew a lock of hair out of her face. Jack then saw Ian watching her and raised an eyebrow. A slight smile played on Ian's lips, "Patients isn't one of your best qualities, is it Jack?"

"He's taking ages, Jack justified.

"It's only been a minute and 25 seconds." Jack watched Ian carefully. Had he been counting, or was it just an estimated guess?

Jack's fingers started drumming again. "Right, that's it. I'm going up stairs." Unable to wait any longer Jack went charging up stairs and Ian was left alone in the (whatever you call that area by the front door)

Ian reached into the inside pocket of his jacket to check he had picked up his car keys when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A normal person wouldn't have normally noticed it or even registered it as unusual. But then again, Ian wasn't exactly what you'd call normal.

It was only a bit of dirt really. Some mud that had come of someone's shoe and had transferred to the carpet.

Ian stepped forward, the corner of his eye trained on the mark on the carpet.

It wouldn't have bothered him normally. However, he couldn't quite figure out how it'd gotten there? It hadn't been there earlier. Then again, he could just be paranoid. He'd been in the business too long. He couldn't switch off for five seconds.

Ian walked towards the front room, his eyes taking in everything. There was a vase over on the coffee table to his left and Ian was lucky to notice the dark figure reflected in it, gun trained on his back.

Ian threw himself to the floor at the same time as the intruder fired the gun. The bullet missed Ian by centimetres; the sound deadened by a silencer, and smashed the vase that had given him away. They were aiming, thought Ian. They didn't want to kill him.

Not wasting any time, Ian scrambled to his feet and took refuge behind the sofa.

***AR***

Alex was starting to get really annoyed when Jack entered his room. "What on earth are you doing Alex?"

Alex came out from underneath his bed. "I'm looking for my shoes."

"Your shoes," Alex nodded. "I thought they were by the back door."

Alex paused as if in deep thought then said, "oh yeah."

Jack sighed, "Come on, your Uncle's probably going mad downstairs." It was at that exact moment that a loud crash sounded from downstairs. Jack and Alex both paused. Jack stepped out onto the landing and opened her mouth to call down to Ian when Alex put his hand over her mouth.

Jack looked down at Alex, "What?"

Alex didn't exactly know what he was doing. He just knew something was not right. Ian wasn't the sort of person to go throwing vases around and Ian definitely didn't do clumsy. Alex followed Jack out his room and looked down the landing towards the stairs. Wouldn't Ian have said something by now? However at that exact point someone came up the stairs, and the dread that had found its way into his bones tripled.

Even a ten year old could tell that a man dressed in all black with a gun in his hands was a threat. Alex immediately grabbed Jack's arm, pulling her back into his room and slamming the door shut.

"Oh my God!" Jack said, "H-he had a gun?" She stared at Alex's now closed bedroom door. Eyes as wide as saucers and hands shaking slightly.

"Jack!" Alex exclaimed, "Help me," he was currently trying to move his chest of draws in front of the door. Jack snapped out of her faze and grabbed the draws. They managed to barricade the door with the chest before the intruder reached Alex's bedroom.

Alex pulled jack away from the door, remembering the gun. "Oh my God!" She repeated. "This can't be happening," she mouthed in a low voice. The door started rattling then and Jack paled almost instantly. "What about Ian?" She then said, mouthing Alex's one constant thought out loud.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ian Rider had in fact been in better conditions. He knew his attacker would be upon him in seconds unless he moved or came up with a better idea.

He was weapon less, his attacker wasn't, and they obviously didn't care much about shooting, although Ian got the idea that they didn't want to kill him.

Ian then heard someone head upstairs and saw another intruder. Shit, there were two of them. He instantly thought of Alex and Jack. They didn't want them though, just him, right?

"There's no point hiding Rider, you might as well come out." The attacker spoke with a slight accent, was it Polish? "I promise I won't shoot." Definitely Polish. Ian reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone.

"Who sent you?" Ian asked.

"You don't know," the Pole asked. He was getting closer.

"I have a lot of enemies…"

"Scorpia sent me."

"Ah, thought as much."

Someone then yelled from downstairs, "Marco, I need some help, they've barricaded themselves in!"

"I'm dealing with Rider!" Marco yelled back, obviously angry with his accomplice. Ian then slipped his phone back into his pocket, his message sent.

***AR***

"What are we going to do? What are we going to do?"

"Jack shush!" Alex was currently wondering how the hell they had both gotten into this situation. It was not normal for men with guns to come into the house. Was it?

What did they want? Were they burglars? Should he phone the police, he had his phone. Where was Ian?

He then heard the man outside yell something downstairs. "Marco, I need some help, they've barricaded themselves in!" Alex's phone then started to vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out quickly and stared at the small screen.

Ian Rider.

He opened up the message,

Alex. Don't call the police. Get into my office and lock the door, you'll be safe there. There's a button under the desk – press it. Don't reply.

Alex read the message again, processing the information. Why would they be safer in Ian's office? Why was there a button under his desk? And why shouldn't he phone the police? Why shouldn't he reply, was Ian hiding? Alex was starting to think that these gunmen had something to do with his Uncle. What could they want with a banker?

"Alex," He looked up at Jack. "Who was it?"

"Ian." the door started to rattle again.

"Is he alright?"

Alex handed her his phone, not wanting to read the message out loud in case they were over heard. He then went over to his window and opened it, looking out onto his garden.

"What does he mean by that?" Jack mumbled. "We can't get out," slight hysteria seeped through her voice.

"Maybe we can," Alex replied.

The door stopped rattling. "If you come out, I will not hurt you!" The gunman yelled through the key hole. "I will start shooting soon unless you come out."

"Okay!" Alex yelled back and Jack widened her eyes in shock at him. "I'll just get my coat!"

"Honestly," Jack hissed, "that's worse than your Uncle."

Alex stuck his head out the window. Ian's office was the second one along, he could see the window.

"That's very funny," replied the gunman. "However I think it is in your best interest to keep those comments to yourself and step outside."

***AR***

Ian knew he had to do something. But what. Even though he was a fully trained spy and had been in worse looking situations before, he couldn't quite see a way out of this one. He was going to have to create a window of opportunity somehow.

He stood up from behind the sofa and faced his attacker.

He was around the same height as Ian, short hair and brown eyes. He was quite big although Ian suspected that he was wearing a bullet proof vest under his clothes. He was also holding a M9 which was directed at Ian's heart. Ian was pretty sure he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if he had to.

Ian had clocked all of this before he'd even straightened up properly.

"You need to come with me Rider."

"And where exactly would we be going?"

The gunman smiled, "It's a surprise" he sneered.

"I've never been a fan of surprises."

"That's enough talk," said Marco. "Put your hands on your head and walk towards that wall. Don't try anything funny."

Ian complied walking up to the wall Marco had pointed out, Marco following him the whole way. Ian then felt the cool ring of metal press against the back of his neck. Marco then started to search him for any weapons, as best as he could with the gun still pressed into Ian's neck.

When Marco was finished he glanced at the stairs briefly. It didn't go unnoticed by Ian; he was waiting for his accomplice. "You have me," said Ian. "You don't need my nephew, or Jack."

"Sorry Rider, we're under strict instructions."

***AR***

Alex waved Jack over to his window. "I have an Idea," he muttered.

"What?" Although Jack had been bordering on hysteria a few minutes ago she was starting to pull herself together a bit more.

"How do you feel about climbing out of the window?"

***AR***

Antoine was new to the business. That was a certainty. That was also why Marco, his accomplice, had gone after Rider, and he's been left with the woman and child. However it was proving more difficult than expected.

He couldn't actually get anywhere near them. They had barricaded themselves in a room and it was currently inaccessible. He'd run at the door a couple of times but it just wouldn't budge. He'd also thought about firing a few shots at the door – but that would be stupid. What would that achieve? They obviously had something big and heavy in the way, firing would be a waste of ammo. He was also under instruction not to hurt them. Hurt Rider if he was a problem, but not the other two.

How on earth was he going to get in there? He was about to threaten them again when smoke started to escape from under the door. He stared at it for a few seconds, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. Was there really smoke coming out from the bottom of the door? Had they set the room on fire?

"Marco!" He yelled again. Nothing in his training had prepared him for what to do if the targets set themselves on fire.

***AR***

"Marco!"

Ian smirked slightly, "let me guess, new guy."

"Shut it," Marco hissed whilst digging the gun into the small of his back. He was getting angry, angry was good. It meant he was more likely to make mistakes. "What!" He yelled.

"There's smoke coming out from under the door. I think they've set the room on fire!"

"What do you mean they've set the room on fire?"

Ian glanced at the stairs. Alex had best know what he was doing. He hoped it was deliberate. Then he realised, this was his nephew, John's son. Of course it was deliberate.

There was then a noise from the kitchen, not very loud but distinct. Someone was there. Marco paused and then glanced at Ian. "What was that?" He muttered. He turned away from Ian to try and get a glimpse of the kitchen, the gun loosened in his hand. It was all Ian needed.

Ian spun around, grabbing Marco's gun hand in an attempt to direct it away from him. However he wasn't quite fast enough and Marco pulled the trigger. The bullet clipped Ian's shoulder and he cried out.

Marco then lashed out with his foot, getting Ian in the stomach. Ian's grip on Marco's gun hand slackened slightly and Marco hit him on the head with the hilt of the gun. He forced him to the floor and then held the gun against Ian's skull. "I'd planned that slightly differently," Ian muttered, mostly to himself into the carpet pile now pressing into the side of his face.

Ian had had his reasons though. Whether he had succeeded or not he had achieved him main aim. He'd distracted Marco. Whoever was in the kitchen was now once again unnoticed.

Ian didn't know who was currently in his kitchen. Possibly Alex or Jack; if they'd climbed out Alex's window. But why would they come back into the house? Unless they were looking for him.

Hopefully it was someone from MI6. Someone had realised there had been an information leak. There was no other reason for Marco to be here right now. Ian then glimpsed a shadow across the wall in front of him and knew someone had entered the room. However in his current position, he couldn't see who it was.

"I suggest you put the gun down and step away from Ian." He knew the voice from somewhere. It seemed so familiar but he couldn't place it. It sounded like…no it couldn't possibly be…

Ian felt the hilt of the gun pull away from his head and Marco got of him. Ian pulled himself up slowly, wincing slightly with the throbbing pain in his arm. He turned to see a man dressed all in black with a hood up. They were wearing civilian like clothes meaning they weren't from MI6. Not unless he was unable to see his face and didn't know the identity of his rescuer. They had a 9mm aimed at Marco.

Marco put his gun on the floor and stood with his hands above his head. "How many are there?" The mysterious rescuer asked.

Again Ian tried to place the voice, but he couldn't work it out. "Two, one is up stairs." He replied, "My nephew is up there."

The stranger nodded and then reached down and picked up Marco's gun, keeping his trained on his all the time. He handed it to Ian. He glanced at the blood quickly soaking through Ian's top. "Shall I go deal with the one up stairs or do you want to."

"You should probably go." Ian said whilst bringing the gun up to Marco who had fallen very silent since the tables had turned.

"Alright," he left as silently as he'd arrived, disappearing upstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Thank you sooo much for the reviews! They really do keep me inspired to carry on, so keep them coming! This chapter might seem a bit slow but I promise there will be some good bits later! Meanwhile, the mystery deepens about our mysterious character…**

Alex wasn't entirely sure why he was setting fire to his bedding by the door. Maybe it was because he was an arsonist. Or then again maybe he just wanted the bloke outside to start panicking. He already sounded like he didn't know what he was doing and then smoke would probably make him more nervous. He would make more mistakes when he was nervous, right. He did also hate his bedding. With a vengeance. Jack had bought it for him, and she was staring in horror at him bent over his quilt with a magnifying glass. But she didn't say anything.

Then they went for the window. Jack protested several times, climbing out the window was not one of the top ten things she wanted to do right at that moment.

As soon as Jack was perched on the windowsill outside, her fingers clinging onto the frame and turning white with the effort, Alex joined her.

"Alex you know I can't stand heights, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know Jack." Alex glanced down at the patio below him, "It's not that high up."

"Don't look down Alex!" Jack shut her eyes tight shut. "If I die from falling out of a window all because you disagreed with your bedding I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your life!"

"Jack shush! We don't want the other one to hear us." This seemed to have some effect on Jack because she stopped ranting almost instantly. "I need to get down somehow. Then I can get the ladder out the shed and you can climb down."

"Alex you can't seriously" Jack glanced down briefly then closed her eyes again. "You'll break something!" She hissed.

"I'll be fine Jack." He looked to his left and saw a drainpipe snaking down the side of the house. It would be hard to reach though. Alex shuffled along the edge of the sill, using his fingers to grip onto the window frame. Once he reached the end he outstretched his hand towards the drainpipe. His fingertips merely brushed the smooth plastic.

"Alex, you can't reach it."

"Yes I can." He shuffled closer to the edge and reached out again. He nearly got a hold this time as well but his foot slipped off the edge and he would have fallen if he hadn't kept his grip.

"Alex!" Jack squealed.

Alex ignored her and kept his concentration on the task at hand. He reached out again and then jumped forward. He heard Jack behind him take a sharp in take of breath as he did so. However he managed to grab it and hold on without falling to his death. Once he had a good grip on the drainpipe he started to slide down it, careful not to break it. He was thankful for his height and weight for once. If he'd been a fully-grown man he would have almost certainly broken the pipe.

When Alex reached the ground he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding in. He looked up at Jack who was still holding onto the window as if her life depended on it. Which it sort of did.

"I've made it Jack," He said as loudly as he dared. Jack just nodded as an answer, still not wanting to look down. He smiled to himself as he made his way over to the shed, glancing back at the house every now and then to check the intruders hadn't realised Jack and him had escaped.

It didn't take him long to open the shed and find the ladder. Once he had, he crept as silently as he could manage back to the house.

It was hard for him to position the ladder up against the wall without making any noise. Especially with it being metal. Every time it clunked he winced to himself. "Jack," He whispered up. He could see smoke billowing out of his window. Why had he set fire to his room again? "Jack, come down now!"

Jack shuffled along the windowsill and with shaking hands reached for the ladder. She slowly started to make her way down it. It was highly tedious to watch her. Alex looked up at his Uncle's office, the window was sealed shut, and they couldn't get in unless they smashed the window. But that would cause too much attention. "Don't ever make me climb out a window again!" She hissed at Alex, whilst he tried not to smile. "We need to phone the police or something," said Jack glancing around her as if the gunmen would appear from behind a bush at any moment.

"Jack, Ian said we shouldn't call the police."

"And where is Ian at the moment?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised.

"In the house." Alex said glancing back at it. Was his Uncle in there somewhere? Why shouldn't he phone the police? Surly it would be a good idea to phone them? Was his Uncle inside? Was he all right? Alex subconsciously took a step towards the house but was stopped by Jack.

"Alex, you can't seriously think of going back in there!" Jack enunciated every word in that American way of hers whilst pointing at the house.

"I'll go no further than the kitchen Jack, I just have to see if he's alright."

"Alex…"

"Please. I promise I'll be careful." Alex took another step towards the house.

Alex could see the confusion written all across Jack's face. He knew she was worried about Ian as well. "Okay, but be careful." She whispered. "If you're not back here in under five minutes I'll come blundering in there with some garden shears, alright?"

Alex nodded, "Alright."

***AR***

It was unnervingly quiet in the house. Alex was certain that it wasn't normally this quiet. Or maybe he was just noticing the silence more because he was so conscious of what little noise he was making. The back door had been open so it was easy for him to get in. He was now silently creeping through the kitchen, all senses on alert.

Back facing the fridge Alex slowly peered through the doorway to the front room. Not knowing what would be on the other side. However he had not expected to see what he did.

His Uncle was standing in the living room a gun in his hand pointed directly at one of the intruders. His arm was soaked in blood and Alex felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. But it wasn't entirely because of the blood that Alex felt that way. There was something about his Uncle. The way he held the gun, the way it looked so comfortable in his hands. And his eyes, they were such a steely dark colour that it almost scared Alex to look at him.

Alex took a deep breath and then stepped out into the other room. Ian clocked him almost instantly, his gaze moving off the intruder and to Alex, his gun hand twitching but not moving off the intruder. "Alex." He said when realisation dawned on him. His steely look vanished almost instantly and turned into a look of concern. An emotion Alex rarely saw grace his Uncle's features. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Alex replied. Ian's concerned look vanished almost instantly. Alex's gaze wondered to his Uncles injured arm. "But you're not."

"Don't worry about me Alex," Ian turned back to the intruder, his gun hand not faltering. "Where's Jack?"

"She's in the garden. She said if I didn't go back outside in five minutes she'd come bursting in with garden shears."

A slight smile turned up the corners of Ian's mouth but it vanished quickly. "You'd best go outside then. Stay in the garden with Jack and wait for me. I'll be out in a minute. Don't call the police, okay?"

Alex nodded. Ian had his no- mess face on. The face that normally came with such instructions which often-baffled Alex, but he knew not to ask about them. He then left the house again; even more confused than he had been when he'd gone in.

***AR***

"Cute kid."

"Don't talk."

"Do I sense some over protectiveness?"

"I said be quiet." Ian's grip on the gun tightened in his hand.

Marco smiled back at Ian but didn't say anything else.

At that point the other gunman came down the stairs, followed by the mysterious rescuer. He had a gun pressed into the back of Antoine as he forced him into the front room where Ian and Marco were.

The rescuer then started to tie Antoine up. Once finished he then tied Marco up and gagged the pair of them. Ian watched him the whole time, still unable to distinguish the stranger. Who was he?

"You need to get out of here," said the stranger. His voice was different from before. He was putting it on; he'd changed it somehow. He didn't want Ian to recognise him. "You can't trust anyone." The stranger looked up at Ian, "you can't trust anyone at the Royal and General. You have to get out of here and take Alex and Jack with you."

Ian was highly puzzled by this, but he didn't let it show. "Why?" He simply asked.

"I can't explain here. You just have to take my word for it."

"I thought you just told me not to trust anyone." The stranger laughed slightly. "I don't even know who you are."

"It's probably best that it's kept that way." There was then a loud screeching noise as a car pulled up onto the drive, the lights flashing through the window. "Shit," the stranger muttered. "They're here." He turned back to Ian. "You have to trust me Ian. We have to leave now!"

However Ian stood his ground. He knew who was outside – it was MI6.

"Ian please." This man was practically begging him. Why did he care about him so much? Nobody had ever shown much love for the young man. His parents had all but ignored him. Only John had ever been there for him. And he was long gone now.

"Who are you?" Ian asked again.

"I can't tell you now, they'll be too many questions. Just trust me. For once in your life take a risk Ian!"

Ian looked out the window and at the squat team pilling out the car. He turned to the man once more and then nodded his head. They both left the room at a running pace.

***AR***

Alex was kicking at a stone that was buried in the earth. It had fallen dark now. It was only six but it was the middle of January and night-time descended early. Alex and Jack were hiding in the shadow of the shed, waiting for Ian. Jack hadn't taken the news of Ian being injured very well when Alex had told her what he'd seen when he'd gone inside. She was now picking at some threads on her scarf as they waited in anticipation. Alex could tell she was worried about him.

That's when two figures appeared out of the darkness. Alex stepped out from his hiding place as soon as he saw his Uncle. "Ian." He said.

Jack quickly joined him. "Ian, what is going on? Are you alright? Do you know those men? Alex said you were holding a gun. And who is this!" Jack ended her rave with her arm pointing right at the stranger stood next to Ian.

"Jack, I can't explain right now. We have to go."

Alex looked puzzled, "Why Ian."

"I promise I'll explain everything later, we have to go now." Alex opened his mouth but then stopped when there was a crashing noise which came from the direction of the house.

"We need to move – now," said the stranger whilst heading to the back gate at the end of the garden. Ian put his hand on Alex's shoulder and led him after him. Jack glanced briefly back at the house and then follow Ian, a scowl apparent on her face.

"Ian who is he?" Alex whispered up at his Uncle.

"I'll explain later Alex, I promise."

"You don't always keep your promises," Alex muttered whilst looking ahead, not wanting to see his uncle's reaction.

Ian sighed, "I know Alex."

They headed down the back of the house and towards the main road. Alex could see the cars speeding past, leaving behind a blur of lights.

"Where are we going?" Jack asked.

"Somewhere safe," the stranger replied without turning.

"Ian, who is this?"

"I'm not sure Jack." Ian replied whilst keeping his eyes trained on the figure up ahead.

Jack stared at Ian. "You don't know who he is? We're following a complete stranger to the middle of nowhere?"

"Not exactly." Ian answered in a monotone voice.

It infuriated Jack how calm Ian could be in these sorts of situations. "Not exactly! Ian, there were men with guns back there!"

"I know that Jack." Ian gestured to his blood soaked arm.

Jack opened her mouth to continue but then decided against it. Instead she scowled at Ian and buried her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

The man up ahead then stopped by a car parked up on the curb. It was an old mini cooper and looked like it had seen better days. He opened the car door and held it open. Ian paused slightly. "Not having second thoughts are you, Ian." The man asked.

"Something like that," Ian muttered in reply.

The man glanced up the street they had come down. "You have to trust me. C'mon Ian, take a risk for once. To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself. Besides, It's not like I'm asking you to get into a plane, is it?" Alex thought he saw a flicker of emotion dart across his Uncle's features; but as soon as he registered it, it had vanished.

"Alright," said Ian whilst stepping towards the car. "But if anything happens, I'm going after you first."

"Fair enough."

"Alex, get in the back with Jack," Ian said. Alex stepped towards the car, followed by Jack who didn't look pleased. "Ian…"

"…Jack, please, not now."

"I was just going to point out the fact that you might bleed to death in a few minutes if you don't see a doctor or something."

Ian glanced at his arm. "I'm alright Jack, it just clipped my arm. Now please get inside the car." Jack didn't look vey reassured as she got into the back of the car, shortly followed by Alex.

"I've got some gauze in the car," said the stranger to Ian whilst bending down to get inside the small vehicle. Once inside the car, the stranger tossed a small medical bag to Ian.

"Alex, put your seat belt on," said Ian sort of automatically whilst opening the small bag. They soon promptly set off, the car weaving in and out of the streets of busy London.

**I wonder where they're going? You may have guessed who the stranger is by now but I still refuse to give anything away **** I also hope you liked the seat belt reference there at the end and the plane reference – it made me laugh anyways. Please please please keep reading and reviewing…I don't mind if you're just reading it but reviews are good cus' I know how many people are reading it – and that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. And I can deal with constructive criticism…and now I'm just rambling…sorry I get a bit carried away with typing sometimes…it's quite fun actually…you should try typing to yourself… :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Hope you like this chapter! Sorry it's been a bit of a while as well but it's the middle of exam season and I've been attempting to revise...note the attempt... **

**Some typical Rider banter in this chapie – if you've ever wondered what it would be like to live with the Riders and Miss Starbright do read on... I had tons of fun typing this so enjoy! :D :D :D**

Nobody said much as the car carried on through the streets. Alex stared out the window, head rested against the windowpane. Alex wasn't entirely sure what was going on. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever been so confused in his life. He felt like he'd been thrown into a bad episode of MI high. Men with guns just didn't turn up at your house after a day of school.

Meanwhile, Ian was attempting to wrap a piece of gauze around his arm, one handed, and wasn't being very successful.

"Ian, let me do it, it's painful watching you." Jack chipped in whilst leaning forward in her seat. She took the gauze of him and started to wrap it around the wound in his shoulder. "Tell me if I'm hurting you." She added.

"I'm alright," Ian replied, watching her face closely.

Jack seemed to notice his gaze but kept her concentration on the small strip of gauze. "Good as new," she said whilst tying it off. "Well...sort of..."

Ian smiled at her, "Thanks Jack." She sat back in her seat, and resumed to stare blankly out of her window.

After another fifteen minutes of silence Jack suddenly announced. "I can't take this anymore! I know you don't want to tell us about what the hell just happened back there but we can at least talk about something!" Alex turned to Jack, he'd been caught up in his own world so much he hadn't really noticed the deafening silence that had descended on all the occupants of the car. Obviously, it was getting to Jack.

"What do you want to talk about?" Alex asked.

"Anything," said Jack. "Did you have a good day at school?"

Alex shrugged, "It was alright, pretty normal actually." Compared to what had just happened, Alex's school day felt considerably average. And like it had happened two weeks ago. "How was your day?"

"Alright," Jack replied. "I saw that postman this morning." Alex rolled his eyes. There was a postman on his street who Jack was infatuated with. According to Jack he was 'mega hot' but Alex had no idea what she saw in him. "He's got a new bike..."

"Jack, I think this is starting to border on stalkerish." Alex cut in before she went into a full speech about what he was wearing and what houses he delivered parcels to and everything.

"Well, I might have a chance there. Like I've said before all the good looking men in this country are either gay or married."

"He's probably gay then." Alex said. "I'm sure you would have noticed if he was wearing a wedding ring by now."

"Yeah, I probably would have." Silence fell again. "Let's play I- spy." Jack suggested.

"No," Alex replied instantly.

"We're not playing I-spy again." Ian said from the front.

"But it's my favourite game," said Jack.

"That's because you always win," said Alex, "Because you _always _cheat."

"No I don't" Jack sounded genuinely innocent.

"Jack," Ian turned around in his seat, "If your I-spy is _dust molecule_ I'm pretty sure that could be classed as cheating."

"Or the Eiffel tower," said Alex. "Seeing the Eiffel tower in the clouds does not count."

"But I did see the Eiffel tower."

"No you didn't, you saw a cloud that ever so slightly represented the shape of the Eiffel tower."

"What if I promise to play properly?"

Ian shook his head. "Last time you said you would play properly it was ant, and we were in the front room."

"There was an ant though. You guys just didn't see it."

"I refuse to play it," said Alex.

"Well what are we going to play then?" Jack said, raising her eyebrows as if to make a point.

"How about nothing," Ian suggested.

"Don't be such a fun sucker Ian. We could have a very bored ten year old with us."

"More like a very bored twenty seven year old."

"Ian!"

"What?"

"You promised to stop yelling my age out in front of complete strangers."

Alex started to laugh, "I don't think he cares." He said whilst gesturing to the driver who had stayed silent throughout the entire conversation.

"I don't" the stranger chipped in, his eyes not leaving the road.

"You still broke your promise Ian!"

"Sorry Jack," Ian replied but there was a slight smile on his face.

Jack was starring daggers at Ian, so Alex decided to step in with "We could play the memory game."

"No," said Jack, distracted from her dagger staring, "Ian's too good at that game. He always wins."

"How much longer are we going to be stuck in this car?" Ian asked.

"About an hour and a half," the stranger replied.

Alex groaned slightly. "Where are we going?"

"Essex. A place called Landermere."

"Landermere..." said Ian, watching the stranger closely. The man merely nodded. Alex noticed the brief interaction, what was going on? Was Landermere signifigant? It seemed to interest Ian somehow.

"Sounds great." Jack muttered. "I've always wanted to go into hiding."

"Why do we have to go into hiding?" Alex asked. "Why didn't we just call the police?"

"Because the police would just get in the way," said the stranger. "And probably in the end turn us all over to the wrong people."

"Who are the wrong people?" Alex asked, suddenly enjoying the answers he was receiving.

"That's enough," said Ian. "He doesn't need to know."

"What don't I need to know?" Alex asked.

"Alex, don't..." Ian said, his voice sounding stern.

"You're going to have to give us some answers sooner or later." Jack said.

"I know," Ian rested his head on the back of his chair. "And I will, just not now."

***AR***

It was nine o'clock when an old mini cooper went zooming down a country lane in Essex. The journey had taken longer than expected because of the rush hour traffic. But they had nearly arrived and the car was currently bouncing along a highly pot filled road. It then pulled up outside a row of cottages, and the engine cut out.

Everyone pilled out of the car. "I hate long car journeys," said Jack whilst stretching her legs.

"I know what you mean," said Alex.

The stranger walked up to the number seven cottage and opened the front door with a set of keys from his pocket. "It's not much," said the stranger whilst gesturing inside. "But at least we'll be safe in here." He then disappeared inside, shortly followed by Ian and the others.

It was dark inside. All the lights were off. And it was cold; Alex could see his breath spiral out in front of him as he shuffled closer into the house.

"It's freezing in here," said Jack, pulling her Jacket closer around her.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," said the stranger. "The heating has been off for a while, and the lights. I'll go turn it on." Before leaving the room he chucked a torch to Alex who only just managed to catch it off guard.

Alex turned the torch on and used it to look around the cottage. It was very small. They were standing in the front room which consisted of two sofa's an old telly in the corner and an old wood burner. Alex could just glance a kitchen through a doorway, which didn't look much bigger with a table taking up most of the space. Truth be told, he would rather be back at his house in Chelsea. But Alex had the slight feeling he possibly wasn't going to see it again, not for a very long time at least.

At that point suddenly all the lights came on, Alex looked around a bit more, the room now shown in a different light.

"Well isn't this lovely," said Jack, her voice laced with sarcasm. However everyone ignored her.

Ian went and sat down on one of the sofas, "We might as well make ourselves at home." Alex joined him, although he had just spent several hours in the car, he was knackered. Jack glanced around the room once more and then sat down on a different sofa. She looked like she was about to say something but then closed her mouth.

The stranger then came back into the room, his face still obscured by the hood that he was wearing. Alex turned towards him whilst thinking he wasn't going to be able to keep that hood up forever. Why was he hiding his identity anyway? As Alex stared at him, he realised his looked were retaliated, the stranger was looking right at Alex.

Alex turned away, not comfortable with the staring match between them. The silence continued, everyone alone with their own thoughts, it was awkward. Alex wanted to say something to end the silence that had descended on all three of them but couldn't find anything to say. There were thousands of questions he wanted to ask, but couldn't utter a decibel. In the end it was Jack who intervened, "I'm tired, I think I'm going to go to Bedfordshire," and stood up.

The stranger turned towards her, "There are some beds upstairs, just round the corner," he pointed through the kitchen to where the stairs were located.

"I'm going to go to," said Alex. He was tired but he also got the impression that he should leave his uncle and the stranger so they could talk. He would get some answers in the morning. And it was a very small cottage; the odd word might easily travel upstairs.

"G'night," said Ian whilst Alex and Jack left the room, headed upstairs.

"I don't like this Alex," said Jack when they got upstairs. It was even smaller upstairs than down. As soon as they reached the top step they were automatically in a bedroom, complete with what looked like two small camping beds. At the other end of the room there was a door leading to a second.

Alex shrugged, "you'd be a bit weird if you didn't."

Jack sat down on the edge of a bed and started to take her shoes off. "Who is that bloke downstairs?" She asked. "And what on earth were those men with guns after; they weren't trying to rob the house were they?"

Alex shook his head, "I don't know. They wanted us, didn't they?"

"Why would they want us though?" Jack removed her earrings and placed them on the windowsill. "It's like we've been thrown into some James Bond film or something?"

Alex nodded and sat down on the other bed. "We haven't though, this is reality."

***AR***

Alan Blunt sat behind his desk with his fingers steepled in concentration. There was a woman sat opposite him, dressed in a grey suit. She had dark short hair and was currently sucking on a pepper mint.

"Mrs Jones," Blunt addressed the woman, who merely crossed her legs in response. "I do believe we have been compromised. I think it would be wise for the two of us to lay low for a While."

"What about Rider?"

"He will have to look out for himself from now on – it's too risky."

"And Alex, he's a ten year old child," Mrs Jones raised her eyebrows.

"Let's just hope they got out before they turned up."

"Rider will come straight here if he does escape...we should at least warn him, and the other agents."

"What part of, we should stay low for a while did you not comprehend Mrs Jones?" Blunt said, a new edge to his voice.

Mrs Jones stared at her boss; there was something about him that she'd never seen before – Blunt was scared.

***AR***

"I think you owe me some answers now, I followed you all the way out here. Who are you?" Ian watched the man sat opposite him carefully.

"I think I should take a look at your arm."

"That wasn't quite the reply I was looking for."

There was a slight pause and then the man started talking. After all there was no danger here. "I used to work for MI6, but I was betrayed by them, they think I'm dead. MI6 has been corrupted by Scorpia, they've been pulling the strings for a fair few years now, and it's been getting worse. As of now, our government is being controlled by the international terrorist organisation."

"That's not possible," Ian replied. "Someone would have noticed."

"All those who did were quickly silenced. Ian, you have to believe me, you can no longer trust anyone. You have to get out of the country, you, Alex and Jack. It's not safe for you here; you can no longer trust the police, the government, or anyone at MI6."

"It doesn't make sense..." Ian frowned and looked down at the floor; none of this could be possible, could it?

"It does make sense. Think about the Dorson case involving Scorpia. How else could those men turn up at your house without an information leak at MI6?"

Ian's head spun as he tried to make sense about what had been suggested. It did make some sense, even though Ian was trying to find a loophole, especially when he thought about the Dorson case... "How do you know about the Dorson case?" Ian asked, looking directly at the stranger again.

"I've been keeping my ear to the ground."

"You must have very good hearing." The man chuckled slightly. "Okay said Ian, I suppose it's plausible, but I'm still not entirely convinced."

"Well that's good enough for now. Will you let me look at your arm now, your wound still hasn't been cleaned and I'm starting to worry about you."

"Worry about me?" Ian raised an eyebrow, "No one's worried about me for years."

"I'm sure Alex worries about you all the time, and Jack." The stranger stood up. "Let's go into the kitchen, it's lighter in there." Ian followed him in and sat down at the kitchen table. The stranger walked over to the cupboard where he removed another medical kit and then sat down next to Ian at the table.

"You're very well equipped," Ian commented.

The stranger merely shrugged, "you can never be too careful." He opened up the small plastic box and removed a cotton ball and a small bottle of antiseptic. He then started to remove the piece of gauze that Jack had tied around Ian's arm earlier. "I'm going to have to take your jacket of." Ian nodded in response.

The stranger slowly started to pull Ian's sleeve down, causing him to wince once. "Sorry," the stranger muttered and finally removed his jacket. He then soaked the cotton ball in the bottle of antiseptic and brought it up to the bullet wound, "this is going to sting a bit."

"I know," Ian replied. How many times had he been shot now? This was the fifth...if it counted as being shot, because the bullet had only clipped him. Well – it hurt enough to count as being shot. The stranger continued to clean the wound, Ian ignoring the stinging pain in his arm. Instead he directed his attention on the man beside him. He could see parts of his face in the light, but not enough to put a name to the face. It was infuriating. There was something so familiar about him, Ian felt like he'd known him for years, yet he still didn't know who he was. He was an ex-MI6 agent...Ian had met thousands of MI6 operatives in the past...he was also presumed dead...Ian knew more dead people than living. Such was life as a spy, which still didn't bring the possibilities down at all.

The man got a new piece of gauze and started to wrap it around Ian's arm, which was when Ian noticed it. A tiny half moon crescent shaped scar on the back of the stranger's hand. Every fibre in Ian's body froze at that one point.

**Ha Ha ha ha ha CLIFY! I bet you hate me at the moment...well hopefully not enough to not review. Ian even knows who the mysterious stranger is and you don't mhwhaa haa haaaaa**

**...well Jack and Alex don't know...yet...**

**Until next time - xx Millipher Steerus xx ;) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, I should warn you now this chapter might not make perfect sense at first, but if you keep reading I promise you it will! **

**I also promise that within a day I will post the next chapter to keep everyone going :D - and you guys are gonna love chapter seven!...not that this chapter will suck… I think you may find it very enlightening.**

**Soooo without further ado = Chapter 6! :D**

Chapter 6

The sun was baking down on the villa high up in the hills of Tuscany. A small lizard darted out between some rocks and snaked around the edge of a pool before disappearing back into the undergrowth. It was watched by a young boy of the age of twelve with short sandy blonde hair. As soon as it vanished the boy stood up. "When is Dad coming back?" He asked.

A woman with long blonde wavy hair was sitting by the poolside with a book in her hands. She was wearing a straw hat and sunglasses and from the ease with which she sat and the way she lowered her book when she was addressed, she could have easily passed for a movie star. "I told you earlier, he won't be back until six."

The small boy sighed and walked over to the edge of the pool, staring into it and watching his reflection, he was so bored. He now wished he had gone shopping with his brother, at least it would have been something to do.

However it was at that point that he heard a car pull up on the drive of the villa and a smile broke out on his face. He went to go greet his brother, but then had another idea.

It was payback time.

A young man of the age of seventeen walked towards the villa, two bags of food in his hands. He was dressed in swimming trunks and a t-shirt and had the same sandy brown hair as his brother. He put the food away and then left the kitchen, headed outside and leaving the keys on the table. He stepped out into the sunlight, pulling the door to and looking around for a certain someone. He walked towards the woman in a sun lounger, "Mum, where's..." however he never got to finish his sentence because at that point a small boy rugby tackled him straight into the pool.

He came up spluttering, his t-shirt hanging off him and his hair plastered to his forehead to see his younger brother laughing hysterically. "You are so dead!" He yelled whilst swimming over to the edge.

"It's only fair," said the younger. "You've thrown me in twice now."

"You're still dead." He climbed out of the pool and the younger, realising what danger he was in, started to run away. The other pulled himself out of the pool and ran after him.

"Play nicely," said their mother, not looking up from her book.

The younger ran straight for the villa, hoping to get inside and find a suitable hiding place but found the door locked. "No," he said and ran around the side of the house, his brother getting closer.

When he got around the front he started to climb the building, trying to reach the balcony but he was too slow. The older grabbed his ankle and pulled him down. "Where do you think you're going, monkey boy?"

"Ahh c'mon, it's not fair..."

The older tried to grab his brother but he wriggled free and went into a defensive posture. "Oh, is that how we're going to play, is it?" The older swung a kick at his brother who easily blocked it and jabbed out with his left hand. It continued like this for several minutes, the two brothers continuing to fight, none of them gaining the upper hand. The older was by far the strongest and biggest, but the smaller was fast and knew his brother, so he was able to guess what was coming next. However the older then did something highly unexpected, he ducked down, picking up a handful of dirt and threw it at the younger, temporarily blinding him. He stumbled back and tried to get the dust out his eyes but couldn't, and his brother lunged for him, slinging him over his shoulder.

"That's not fair!" he complained, blinking continually, "That's cheating!"

"Don't worry, I'll wash that out for you."

"No!" He started struggling in his brothers arms but he was too strong."Think about this, you don't want to do this," he tried to negotiate with his brother, "If you throw me in I'll have no option but to throw you in..."

"Hmm, let me think about it...no." They had now reached the pool and the older threw his younger brother into it with a large splash, the younger calling out just before he hit the water. He came up spluttering, just like his brother, scowling at him. "I bet your eyes don't hurt anymore now, do they?"

"No comment," he pulled himself out of the pool and walked towards the villa, pretending to be in a sulk. However as soon as he got near his brother he ran right at him and both of them fell into the water with a loud splash.

"I knew you were going to do that," the older exclaimed when coming up for air.

"No you didn't. The younger jumped on his back, "else you'd have stopped me."

"What, with you running at me like that?"

"...you could have..."

The woman sat at the poolside then stood up "I'm going inside boys," she said.

"Kay Mum," the younger replied.

She walked over to the nearest door and tried the handle, but couldn't get inside. "Have you got the keys?" she called over to her sons.

The older frowned, "I left them inside..."

"We're locked out then," she said whilst facing them.

The two boys got out of the pool and headed over to the door. The older tried it again, but they were definitely locked out.

"What about the front door?" The younger asked.

"Locked," replied his brother.

"Great," said their Mum, "we're locked out then. We're going to have to wait for your father to come home."

"What can Dad do?" Questioned the older, "he doesn't have a set of keys." He pointed at the different panes in the door. "If we smash this pane I can unlock the door from the inside. We'd have to pay the people who own the villa back though."

"I don't like the idea of smashing things," replied their Mum.

"Well, we're going to be stuck out here until six then, and Dad will probably smash the pane anyways."

Their mother paused for a while, trying to find another less destructive option but then sighed. "Oh alright, but be careful."

The older went to go find a rock and returned with it in hand. "stand back" he said, and once his brother and Mum were out the way, swung the rock at the pane, smashing it on impact.

"Ow," said John when removing his hand from the door to reveal a cut on the back of his hand.

"I told you to be careful!" His mother exclaimed.

"Well, I was smashing a window," John replied.

Ian shook his head smiling, "idiot. Why didn't you just pick the lock anyways?"

"Because I can't pick locks, can I?" John raised his eyebrows at his little brother, reminding him not to mention it.

"Oh yeah," said Ian whilst glancing at his Mum. It would be a bad idea to let her know that the both of them could pick locks.

"It's really deep," said their mother, ignoring their interaction. "You're probably going to be scarred for life!"

"I don't think it's that bad Mum."

**So that's it – Chapter 6!**

**I know it has kind of prolonged the agony and it is a very short chapter but I promise to update within a day because chapter 7 is finished! =0**

**I hope you lot liked it – please review and tell me if you liked this kind of random chapter – if u don't understand it then please tell me as well…because thts not good… but hopefully everyone got it! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Soooo everyone now knows who the mysterious character is… but what will happen next?**

Chapter 7

_Every fibre in Ian's body froze at that one point._

"John," he said staring at the man tying the piece of gauze around his arm.

The other man stopped. He then sighed and muttered a, "I hoped you wouldn't find out." The man reached for his hood and pulled it down.

Every atom that made up Ian screamed at him that this was not possible. He could not be sat opposite his brother because he was dead and buried. And yet, here he was, every contour of his face so recognisable as John it was painful. He'd wanted the man to reveal his identity for so long and now he wished he still didn't know.

Ian couldn't move. He couldn't say anything; he was just resorted to the jumbled mess that he'd suddenly become. His brain was on overload; this couldn't possibly be his brother? His brother was dead.

But it was John; the scar on the back of his hand clarified it more than anything else. The walls that Ian kept up on a twenty-four hour basis were cracking and falling down around him, and for the first time in years real emotion flicked across the young man's features. "…Why?" He managed to get out the one word, even though it was barely audible. But John heard.

"I…I didn't want to hurt you."

Ian stared at his brother, finally meeting his eyes. 'He didn't want to hurt him?' Ian suddenly felt angry, because staying away hadn't hurt, had it? No, because it didn't hurt to find out that the one person you ever truly cared for was dead? Did it? Ian found his head becoming clearer as the anger built up inside. "You left me," he said, "but worse than that, you left Alex? You left him with me? And all this time you've been alive!"

"You wouldn't have wanted me to come back," said John, much calmer than his younger brother. "I would have dragged you and Alex into a world of chaos."

"John, he's your own son!" Ian exclaimed. "Do you think if I went upstairs and told him right now that his Dad was alive he would be annoyed about me waking him! For fucks sake John, you left us both!" Ian stood up, unable to sit down anymore.

"Ian, it's not like that," John said, his fist clenching under the table. "I love Alex."

"Oh yeah, I can see that," replied Ian, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Ian, will you calm down," John was starting to loose his nerve now.

"I will not calm down, I've been calm for too long! I haven't been this off the rails since you supposedly died so I might as well stay angry at you! Besides, you seem to like being calm, you're doing a perfectly good job of staying calm at the moment so I'll carry on!"

John stayed silent, thinking it was best to allow his brother to let off some steam and stared down at the table.

"Where's Helen, John?" Ian then asked and the man froze in his seat. "Did you leave her to? You seem to be very good at that, leaving all the people you love behind!" John leapt up, his chair crashing to the floor and grabbed Ian by the collar.

"Don't," he hissed, "talk about things you don't understand."

Ian grabbed his hand and spun free of the hold, now stood in a defensive position. "What don't I understand," He hissed, almost egging his brother on. "That you left me? That you left Alex without a guardian? That Helen doesn't appear to be around any more?"

Anger flashed in John's eyes, "It's all about you Ian, isn't it? As soon as something bad happens to you it's everyone else's fault!"

"I'm sorry if I seem a little angry at the fact that my dead brother has just turned up and said the reason he didn't want to see me before was because he didn't want to hurt me!"

***AR***

Alex was lying down on his back, staring at the ceiling, listening to the muffled voices downstairs. He couldn't hear any intelligible words but he still listened intently, almost as if at any moment he would understand the odd word or sentence and the events of today would make sense.

Jack was fast asleep. Alex could hear her deep breaths and could see the steady rise and fall of her shoulders. She'd fallen asleep on her back, sprawled across the camping bed in a very…Jack way…

Alex rolled over, his head resting on his folded arms and watched the stairs in front of him, almost willing something to happen. He then heard something from downstairs and he lifted his head up, wondering if he had imagined it. "For Fucks sake John, you left us both!" That was Ian's voice.

Ian never raised his voice; he never lost it like that? Whenever he was angry with Alex he just went quiet, which Alex always thought was considerably worse. But shout?

And John…who was John? Alex's Dad was called John, but he was dead. Why were the two men arguing? Alex got up off his bed and stood at the top of the stairs.

"Ian, will you calm down."

"I will not calm down! I've been calm for too long…" Alex moved down to the top step, staring down into the dark corridor below him. Why was his Uncle loosing it like this? Ian never lost it…

Alex took another step down, the staircase creaking; he froze, not wanting the two men to know he was eavesdropping.

"Where's Helen John? Did you leave her too? You seem to be very good at that, leaving all the people you love behind!" There was then a loud crash and Alex flinched slightly at the unexpected noise. He moved down a few more steps, still careful but with a new sense of urgency. He reached the bottom and peered around the corner to see his Uncle and the stranger. The stranger, or John, had Ian pinned up against the wall, his hand holding onto his collar. John didn't have his face obscured by the hood any more but Alex still couldn't see his features because his back was to him. Ian must have really angered him…what had he said again? Something about a Helen and leaving all the people he loved behind…Alex's Mum was called Helen…

Ian then swung out of the man's grip and stood in the all too familiar defence position that Alex knew from Karate. "What don't I understand? That you left me? That you left Alex without a guardian? That Helen doesn't appear to be around any more?"

Alex's head swam as the words sunk in…what was Ian on about? Alex stared at the stranger, still unable to see his features, it couldn't possibly be…no, Alex had misunderstood Ian…this was a different John and a different Helen.

"It's all about you Ian, isn't it? As soon as something bad happens to you it's everyone else's fault!" The other man yelled at his Uncle.

"I'm sorry if I seem a little angry at the fact that my dead brother has just turned up and said the reason he didn't want to see me before was because he didn't want to hurt me!"

Alex froze, Ian's words swimming around his head. His dead brother…Ian only had one brother…and that was Alex's Dad. But he was dead. Alex had seen the gravestone…visited it enough times…

This day just got more and more out of control, Alex found himself questioning reality. Questioning everything around him. Maybe he was dead? Shot by one of the intruders earlier…or this was all just some dream…

"You have no idea what it's been like Ian!" John yelled back, gone way past the point of being calm.

Why were they fighting, surly if they had just met after all these years they would be happy? Alex Started to walk towards the kitchen, why wouldn't they stop yelling. They were going to wake Jack… Alex didn't like seeing his Uncle so off the rails, it was frightening…. not to mention his Dad - Ian very rarely said stuff about his older brother but whenever he did it was always good stuff. And yet here they were shouting their heads off.

"No I don't, why don't you enlighten me John!" Ian yelled, so preoccupied he hadn't even noticed his nephew standing in the corridor.

Alex stepped out of the darkness and into the kitchen; he took a deep breath and then yelled "Shut up!"

The whole room fell silent.

Both men turned to face Alex at the same time. Shock written across both of their faces. Alex just stared back; wishing he had stayed up stairs, wishing his curiosity hadn't led him down here. His gaze turned to John and it felt like his heart froze in is chest. Alex had a picture of his parents in his room, and it was, in every way possible, his Dad.

Alex bolted for the door. Wanting to run and keep running, put himself as much distance away from that kitchen as possible. Alex ran out into the cold night air and into the garden. He ran all the way to the end, his breath spiralling out in front of him and hopped the fence at the back. He found himself in a cornfield and started to run through the corn. Ignoring the way it whipped at his face and hands and kept going. Pushing and kicking it out of his way.

His breath came out in short stabs and he was soon exhausted. Slowing down he found himself in a path that cut through the crop, probably to allow tractors through. Breathing heavily he sat down in the dirt and placed his head between his knees, staring at the floor.

That's when the tears started. Alex couldn't help himself. They overflowed freely, splashing onto the ground. He grabbed fistfuls of his hair, angry with himself and the world. This must be some dream…in a minute he would wake up and everything would be back to normal, he'd go to school and come home to Jack's cooking…Jack's burnt cooking…

It was weird, he would have thought that if he found out his Dad was alive he'd be happy more than anything else. But for some reason he wasn't. Maybe it was because of the way it was sprung on him like that. It was so unexpected and impossible…why…why now…

Alex was then aware of someone else near him. He heard the rustle of corn and then footsteps. They sat down next to him. "I don't think the farmer is going to be very happy about his crop Alex…"

It was Ian.

Alex didn't reply, still staring at the floor, head between his knees.

"Alex…I know this must be hard…and I'm sorry you saw me and John arguing like that…"

"Is this a dream," Alex muttered. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up at any moment and none of this will have happened…"

"It's not a dream Alex. But that's a good thing, because it means you don't have to go to school tomorrow."

A slight smile broke out on Alex's face but it quickly vanished. "Why is he here? Why isn't he… dead…?"

Ian sighed, "Alex there's a lot I have to explain to you. I haven't been entirely truthful. But I hadn't planned on telling you in a corn field."

"Why didn't he come back if he was alive?" Alex now looked up to see his Uncle sat cross-legged next to him. "And where's Mum…?"

"I don't know Alex, I wish I did, but I don't." A silence fell between them, Alex staring at the ground and Ian looking off into the distance. "I think we should go back inside Alex. Before we either get run over by a tractor or an angry farmer turns up with a shot gun."

"Okay," Alex muttered. Ian stood up and held his hand out to help Alex up. Alex took it and stood up, wiping his eyes with the ends of his sleeves.

They slowly made their way back up to the small cottage.

***AR***

John was sat at the kitchen table.

He'd really screwed things up. He hadn't wanted to give away his identity, he'd wanted to warn Ian, get him and Alex out of the country and then continue his existence as a nobody. He wondered what had given it away? He looked down at his left hand to see the tiny scar. His Mum had been right, it had scarred him for life…maybe it wasn't the best idea ever to smash the door. But he'd wanted to prove he could do something without his Dad. He wanted to prove to himself that he didn't need him-that he could cope with him always being away.

The back door then opened to reveal Ian and Alex. John felt his stomach constrict when he saw Alex's face was tear stained. He stood up, wanting to say something, but having no idea what. This was his son, and he didn't know how to react…

Alex then walked straight over to him and hugged him. John wasn't expecting it and stiffened at the contact but as soon as he got over the initial shock he hugged the small boy back, holding him close.

Alex then let go and turned to face his uncle and with a sigh said, "I'm not explaining this to Jack in the morning."

**EMOTIONAL OVERLOAD!**

**I hope you guys liked this chapter, I had tons of fun writing it…but like Alex I don't know how to explain to Jack what the hell is going on…Sooo the next chapter could be a while…sorry guys :/ But I do have a plan and I haven't given up on it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so sorry this has taken me so long - but so much has been going on lately :L**

**I'v been shipped back and forth from relatives because of the holidays and i lost my pendrive with my fic on when i finally wanted to write a bit more. However i haven't given up on this so there's no need to worry :)**

**This is the longest chapter i have ever done - so hopefully it's been worth the wait**

**So without further ado - chapter 8!**

**(Drum roll) **

Chapter 8

Jack Starbright woke to the sun streaming through the window. She blinked a couple of times, her eyes adjusting to the dramatic light change and then sat up. She stood up on her mattress and looked out the window to see the dust road that they had driven in on last night, and the old mini parked outside.

She then turned to see Alex fast asleep in his bed, his hair sticking up at odd angles. He looked so peaceful and cute Jack had to resist the urge to go over to him and hug him. She was still completely oblivious to the events of last night.

Jack found a mirror and tried to sort her hair out which was completely messed up from sleeping but wasn't entirely successful, especially because she didn't have a brush. So she gave up and made her way downstairs.

No one else was in the kitchen when Jack got downstairs. She went over to the window and stared outside. The garden outside was massive and there were several chickens wondering about. There was a small apple tree at the bottom with a bench next to it. Beyond that was a cornfield, which carried on much further, stretching out towards the horizon.

Jack turned around and glanced through to the other room. Ian was asleep on the sofa; his hair had fallen into his eyes, and one of his arms had fallen off the sofa to lie on the floor next to him. It was such an un-Ian position Jack couldn't help but stare. Not to mention that Ian was still asleep and she was up? That was unheard of.

She then noticed the fact that his T-shirt had ridden up slightly and she could see part of his perfect torso. That was something she had noticed about Ian – he was unbelievably fit…especially for a banker. But the most unbelievable thing she had noticed was that he was single. Blokes like Ian should by right have women crawling all over them, but not Ian.

But then again Jack could understand why Ian didn't have a partner. Ian could be cold. Jack had wondered often if he was actually a robot. How could someone show no feeling like Ian Rider did? Ian was always so calm, collected, and unemotional it almost drove Jack insane. What would she give to see him fly off the rails just once? She'd provoked him once before, just a test. Wanting to see the other side of the one sided coin. She'd had a fair few drinks one night and after Alex had gone to sleep she'd just let loose to Ian. Telling him how she thought him being away all the time was bad for Alex and how Alex should be more important than his job. And how Ian should show some more love to Alex. But he'd just taken it at face value and…agreed with it.

She watched his chest slowly rise and fall. He was…perfect…

Jack shook her head, what was she thinking? It just wasn't right, was it? Besides, Ian had never shown any interest in her...he was perfect, collected, smart, intelligent…and Jack was clumsy, fly away, impulsive and ginger. They were the opposite sides of the magnet.

Jack turned away, realising that she had probably been staring for way too long, and put the kettle on. Jack was searching the cupboards for anything coffee related when she finally found what she was looking for; a jar of instant coffee in one of the top cupboards. Sighing at the very inconveniently placed jar she reached up to try and get it.

***AR***

Ian was a very light sleeper; it was handy for someone in his profession. So when somebody started searching through cupboards in the room next to him, it didn't take him long to wake up.

Ian opened his eyes to see the red headed American he'd gotten so used to over the past three years. He smiled as he saw her trying to reach for something in a cupboard that was obviously out of her reach. He sat up and ran his hand through his hair and then made his way into the kitchen.

"What are you trying to get?"

Jack yelped suddenly, jumping half a mile. "Ian! Don't do that!"

"Don't do what?" Ian asked a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Creep up on me like that, you could have given me a heart attack?"

"Sorry."

"Honestly, you were asleep a second ago…"

"I woke up," Ian replied. "It's not natural for you to be up before me."

Jack rolled her eyes, "Well, seeming you are awake, you can do something useful, can you get the coffee down." Ian reached up and removed the small jar from the cupboard, handing it to Jack. "Thanks. Do you want a cuppa?"

"Yes please Jack," Ian said and sat down at the table.

"How's your arm?" Jack asked.

"Oh, fine. Is Alex still asleep?"

"He was last time I checked but he might just creep up on me and finish me off in a minute." Jack poured the now boiled water into two mugs.

"Sorry Jack."

A sleepy eyed Alex then entered the kitchen and plonked himself down in the nearest seat. "See," said Jack, "that's how normal people enter a room when they have just woken up." Jack handed Ian his coffee and joined everyone else at the table. "Did you have a good night's sleep Alex?

Alex glanced at Ian briefly, did she know? "It was alright," he replied. "Where's…the other guy?" Alex asked, still noting the fact that Jack was completely oblivious to the events of last night.

"He left early," Ian replied.

"Where did he go?" Alex questioned.

Ian merely shrugged although Alex got the impression that his Uncle knew exactly where John had gone. Ian took a sip of his coffee, "I think I owe you guys some answers," he said, lowering his mug. Him and John had had a long talk last night once Alex had gone back to bed for the second time. John had managed to persuade Ian to tell Alex and Jack the truth, regardless of the official secrets act. Besides, if Scorpia had rooted themselves into MI6 as much as John said so then Ian could say goodbye to his job there. If he was to take one step into the royal and general then he would probably be shot on site.

"Right," said Jack, "I'm going first, what were those men doing at the house?"

Where on earth should he start? "They were from an international terrorist organisation called Scorpia and they were after me."

"Why?" Alex asked, his full attention on his Uncle.

"Because…I'm not a banker." Ian waited slightly for it to sink in. "The royal and General doesn't exist. I'm a spy and I work for MI6." The whole room fell silent, Alex staring at his Uncle.

"You're a spy," said Jack. Repeating it in a way that suggested she didn't entirely believe him.

Ian nodded, "well, I was…" He rubbed his forehead, who would have thought this would be so hard?

Alex stayed quiet, his brain on overdrive as he attempted to contemplate what his Uncle had just told him.

Jack still looked slightly shell shocked, "what do you mean by you _were_ a spy?"

"The people who came into the house could only have gotten in if there was an information leak at headquarters. I have a fair few enemies and if everyone knew where I lived I'd almost definitely be dead by now. It turns out Scorpia have taken control of MI6."

"Hold on," said Alex, "an international terrorist organisation has taken over MI6?"

"Yeah, I know It doesn't sound very plausible but they have…which means I'm subsequently on the run, which also means you two are as well. We have to get out of the country."

"What?" said Jack. "But surly, your government…you can't be…I can't be…"

"I wouldn't be surprised if every policeman in the U.K was currently looking for us."

Jack rested her head on her hand, her elbow on the table, watching Ian closely. "Okay," She said. "Let's say I believe you…I mean…I suppose it makes some sense. But what are we going to do now? If we're on the run, where are we going to go?"

"France," Ian replied. "Me and John have contacts there, once we're out of the country then we're safe."

"John," said Jack looking slightly confused, "Is that the other bloke? Who is he?"

Alex turned to Ian who seemed as calm and collected as ever. A stark contrast to who he was last night. Alex wondered if he would ever see his Uncle that out of control again.

"I didn't know who he was until last night." Ian took another sip of his coffee and looked down at the table, "he's my brother."

Jack stared at him, her mouth slightly open. "Your brother?" She questioned, "but I thought your brother was dead." She then glanced at Alex, "you only have one brother, don't you?"

Ian merely nodded in answer and Jack's eyes widened in shock, "He's dead," she said whilst keeping an eye trained on Alex. What was Ian thinking just announcing that Alex's Dad was alive?

"It's alright Jack," said Alex, seeing her not so sly glances in his direction. "It is my Dad," he muttered.

Jack stared at the two Riders in front of her, her eyes moving from one to the other, her mouth slightly open. She then rubbed both of her eyes, "Okay," she said, "so…Ian's a spy…and Alex's Dad is alive? Am I dreaming because this is completely bonkers."

"No Jack regrettably you aren't dreaming." Ian replied casually. "look," Ian met her eye, "I can understand that this is a bit of a shock, but as soon as we get out of the country me and John can get you on the next flight back to the states, to your family. You should be safe there."

"Okay," Jack stared at the table and then stood up, her chair scraping across the tiled floor. "Just…er, give me a minute." She silently left the room and they heard the bathroom door close and lock.

Alex stared after her, a look of concern and slight shock etched across his face, "Is she alright?" He asked.

Ian also stared after the door Jack had just disappeared behind, "She's fine. We should just give her some space." He replied. "If she's not out in five then I'll go make sure she hasn't hung herself."

This didn't seem to reassure Alex much, his look of concern doubled. "Does Jack have to go?" He asked quietly.

***AR***

Jack wasn't at that point attempting to hang herself. She was in fact sat on the edge of the bathtub staring at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't, as Alex or Ian might have suspected, having a nervous breakdown at the moment. She was actually feeling perfectly fine. Which was slightly unnerving and was probably why she'd locked herself in the bathroom. She was still waiting for the initial shock to set in, but she couldn't feel anything…

Why wasn't she shocked? Why wasn't she running around the house like a hysteric because she had potentially just become a fugitive? She'd just been told that Ian was a spy…that was enough to make anyone's head spin. But her's wasn't spinning. In fact she felt completely grounded. It made sense…Ian's long absences, the fact that he could do pretty much anything, even all the rock climbing excursions and Karate made some more sense now…

She'd even just been told by Alex himself that his Dad was still alive and was in fact the bloke that had entered the house with a gun and whisked them all of to the middle of nowhere. That was slightly mind blowing…why would his Dad be alive? If he was then why had he only just revealed his identity? Was Alex okay? I mean he was a tough kid but anyone would be feeling slightly off if one of their dead parents just turned up. It was like she'd said yesterday, just like being in a James Bond film. Her whole life had suddenly become filled with deceit and mystery, along with the gunmen and spy's.

Anyone else would have probably been trying to make sense of this entire mess. Or bashing their head against a brick wall, but Jack just found herself sat in a bathroom feeling…relatively normal…

She wondered if she would have been feeling different if she hadn't met the Riders? She probably would have freaked on that first day when she stood on the Riders porch if Ian had just announced that he was a spy. She probably wouldn't have wanted anything to do with him. But not now, the Riders were her family. Yes, they weren't your normal family or her real family. But her real family were a long way away and her parents had never been the truly understanding sort. She would, any day, rather be on the run with the Riders than her real family. Ian's words echoed around her head. "Me and John can get you on the next flight back to the states, back to your family." Truthfully she didn't want to leave.

Ian had just admitted to being a spy, did he seriously think that Jack was going to leave him with a ten year old? Besides the only thing waiting for her in the states was a couple of moody parents that should have probably been divorced several years ago. Alex was like the little brother she never had and Ian was like her best friend. She wouldn't desert them. Not now.

***AR***

Alex sat silently at the kitchen table, swinging his legs back and forth. The silence that had descended upon his Uncle and him was awkward. Alex wanted to break it, there were millions of questions running blindly around his head, but he couldn't quite say anything.

"Alex," Ian ran a hand through his hair, "Please say something…"

Alex looked up at his Uncle, what could he possibly say, "Umm, have you ever driven an underwater car?"

Ian stared blankly at his nephew, out of all the difficult questions Alex could have asked, that hadn't exactly been what he was expecting. "Uh, no Alex, I haven't." He replied.

"Oh. You must have gotten gadgets though, right, all spy's have gadgets…"

"Yes, I've had lots of gadgets."

"Like…?" Alex asked. He could hardly tell him he had had lots of gadgets and then not elaborate.

Ian smiled slightly and then reached into his pocket. He pulled out a chain with a small pendant on it. "Haven't had the time to hand this back in yet," he said whilst holding it up for Alex.

Alex stared at the chain, "what exactly does it do?" He asked.

"Well the pendant can blow through up to three inches of steel and the chain is diamond edged and can cut through anything. Except perhaps more diamond. But it's quite handy when you're tied up or something."

Alex stared at the small chain, "If it's diamond edged wouldn't it cut your hand?"

"Yes, it should do, but it has a seal around it which you have to break until you get through to the diamond." He held it out to Alex who took it rather cautiously.

"It just looks like a chain," said Alex staring at the thin piece of silver in his hand. "How do you set off the pendant?"

"You turn this piece here where it meets the chain four times anti clockwise. It has a detonation time of five seconds."

"This is so cool," said Alex.

"Yeah, word of advice though, don't set it off."

Alex looked up at his Uncle, "I'm not stupid," he said, a look of incredulity on his face.

There was then a click from the bathroom door and it opened to reveal Jack. All eyes were suddenly on her. She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table once more. "Are you alright?" Alex asked, his eyes filled with concern.

Jack smiled back at him, "I'm fine," she replied. "Strangely fine." She turned to Ian, "How long have you been a spy?" She asked.

"Since I left Uni, I was approached by MI6. I suppose it kind of helped that my Brother and Father were already a part of the organisation."

"My Dad was a spy?" Alex looked up at Ian. "And my Grandad?"

Ian merely nodded in answer.

Jack raised her eyebrows, "Your entire family is practically made up of Spy's? That's slightly kind of twisted…"

"Depends on which way you look at it," he replied. A half smile appeared on his face, "you could see it as the family trade."

"Well that's reassuring," said Alex. "It sounds like I'm destined to be a spy."

"You have a choice Alex," said Ian. "Looking back, if I was asked again I would probably turn them down now. It's hardly a nice life."

"Why continue then?" Asked Jack.

Ian frowned slightly, "It's all I know," he replied. "I tried a normal job once, when I was landed with Alex… but it wasn't long until trouble found me again. I was thrown into the world of espionage in under a few hours. I've seen too much to try and lead a normal life. I'm way beyond the point of no return."

Jack watched Ian closely, she had probably just learnt more about the young man in the space of ten minutes than she had ever learnt before, and she'd been with the riders for four years now. She only found herself wanting to know more. Ian was just like an iceberg, most of him was underwater and unreachable, but Jack had just found the diving equipment and she was going to reach the bottom. "Did you know Alex's Dad was alive?" Jack asked whilst frowning slightly.

"No," Ian shook his head. "I thought he was dead, until last night."

"I missed quite a lot last night, didn't I?" she questioned.

"Yep," replied Alex. "Although you do sleep through pretty much anything."

"No, I don't," Jack argued.

"Yes you do, there was that time when there was a storm and your window was open and you slept through it all."

"Well," said Jack, "it wasn't a very impressive storm."

Alex rolled his eyes and stood up, "How long are we staying here?" he asked his Uncle.

"A couple of days at the most," Ian replied.

"And when are we going shopping," Jack asked whilst raising an eyebrow.

"Shopping?" Ian replied.

"Yes, Shopping. I am not staying in these clothes for two whole days," protested Jack.

Ian rubbed his forehead again, "I'm not sure," he replied. "It might not be safe, I'll have to talk to John."

"I at least need a toothbrush," said Jack.

Alex decided to chip in before Jack flew off on one of her monologues. "I'm going out into the garden," he said and quickly pulled his trainers on and then slipped out the back door.

It was a sunny day, only a few clouds were drifting lazily across the sky, but it was still cold. Alex could see frost clinging to the grass. He dug his hands into his jean pockets and walked through the garden, the grass crunching under foot due to the frost.

It wasn't a very impressive garden, It stretched on a fair bit…but it was just a garden. An oblong piece of lawn with a few flowers bordering the edge. The only remotely interesting thing was the old shed off to the right. If that's what you could call it.

It was mainly made up of corrugated iron, which looked like it was only standing due to the slanted roof that was somehow keeping everything in balance. According to the laws of physics, Alex was certain it should be a mound of iron on the floor.

He approached it slowly, he wasn't too sure of its reliability. He didn't want to have escaped two gun-wielding lunatics to be killed by a shed caving in.

He took hold of the old rusted handle and gave it a slight tug. The shed shuddered slightly but the door only gave way a little. Alex gave it another tug whilst watching the shed closely, if it did decide to collapse he was ready to run for it. This time the door gave way and swung open.

Alex peered inside, it smelt of grass cuttings and damp inside. However he was highly disappointed to find nothing much of interest inside. It was all the sort of stuff you would expect to find in an abandoned shed. There was a coil of blue rope on the floor which had dried grass or something clinging to it. No, it was seaweed, Alex observed, and he suddenly wondered how far away from the sea they actually were. Essex was by the coast, so it couldn't be that far.

There was also a mound of tarpaulin over in the corner and an old chair with only two legs left. Alex grabbed the door handle again and was about to shut it when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Something red.

In was in amongst the tarpaulin in the corner, but Alex couldn't distinguish the object. He glanced up at the cottage and then stepped inside the shed. He shifted the tarpaulin slightly and lifted to ball shape object up. It was a football?

Alex stared at it for a few seconds; it was a bit odd, finding a football in amongst all this junk. Especilly a pumped up football, and it looked relatively new. Did it belong to someone, if so, who? And what was It doing in this shed?

He stepped back outside, the football under his arm. He'd come to the conclusion that if it did belong to someone then as long as he put it back it would be alright. He dropped the football to the floor and started to kick it about.

It was almost as if someone had left it there for him.

**Well i hoped you liked it :)**

**i do love the underwater car bit- my dad once tried to convince me he was a spy and he claimed that his car could go underwater. I never thought he was a spy but i did have my doubts about the car when i was younger - so i thought i'd include it in this immense fic :)**

**Please please please review - i really want to know if you loved or hated it - i live off all your comments and i promise to try and get the next chapter up as soon as i can - the process may be faster with lots of lovely reviews ***

**Until next time**

** Millipher Steerus xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hiya everyone :) I'm sorry it's kind of been a while again but this story is going a bit slow at the moment. I'v had a lot on my plate as well with going back to school and i've got a job which A - knackers me and B - takes up most of my writing fanfic time.**

Chapter 9

Mrs Jones was sat in her apartment, staring out of her window at the crowded streets of London. The concourse was a tangle of cars, taxis and pedestrians, all of them trying to find their way home. It was late in the evening and the sun had long gone down, leaving the city to be lit up from the inside. Various people weaved in and out of each other across the pavement, all of them oblivious of what was happening to the world around them.

They were completely unaware of the corruption that was rotting through the Government currently. MI6 and now MI5 had been taken over by Scorpia. And there was nothing that could be done about it.

The only option was to lie low. Eventually Scorpia would slip up, or they would get on the wrong side of another nation. They would not stay in control for long. These were the words of Blunt.

Mrs Jones couldn't help but disagree with them. Scorpia weren't stupid, you shouldn't underestimate Julia Rothman. Now that they were in power they weren't going to give it up easily. They had the upper hand and they weren't going to throw it away.

They were already rounding up agents. They'd killed three already today.

Against Blunts wishes, Mrs Jones had been keeping an ear to the ground and an eye on the situation. Unlike Blunt she was determined that something had to be done about Scorpia. She didn't join the secret services to not stand up for her country when it really needed her.

She understood that she was putting herself in the firing line but she also understood that something had to be done. She turned to look down at a desk in front of her whilst picking up a piece of paper on it.

It had a list of names on it.

Campling, Kate

Bell, Michael

McRobert, Thomas

Rider, Ian

Sommerset, Andrew

Waterford, Susan

She crossed out Michael, Thomas, Andrew and Susan. Only Ian and Kate were left.

Mrs Jones stood up, her mind made up, she had to get through to Rider…both of them. She didn't know where they were, but she knew who would.

She pulled on her coat and boots, and just before leaving the house removed a handgun from a draw, hiding it in her coat pocket.

***AR***

As far as first impressions went, John Rider didn't believe he'd made the best first impression on Jack Starbright.

He'd hadn't done anything particular to offend her. He'd tried to be nice and welcoming. Although he'd never been very good at that sort of thing.

He could understand where her hostility came from though. She clearly loved and cared for Alex, and John had never really been there for his son. John did regret not having anything to do with his Son since the age of two, but he'd had his reasons.

If certain people knew that he was still alive it wouldn't just be his life in the firing line. Julia Rothman was the sort of person who would hold grudges easily. If she'd even remotely suspected John to still be alive she would come down hard on those he loved. And being Julia Rothman it would of probably only taken a few orders and she would have Alex standing before her. He'd already lost so much; he couldn't compromise Alex's safety.

Part of John wanted to tell Jack that he'd stayed away for Alex's safety. He also loved and cared for his son. But another part knew deep down that he was to blame. He had left Alex fatherless, without a proper guardian.

So he took the sidelong looks of distrust and the blunt tone because he knew it was a lot less than he deserved.

And then there was Alex. He looked so much like him it was slightly daunting. Ian had said Alex was his mini clone, and he was right. John was sure that if he were ten, him and Alex would be identical, right down to the last eyelash.

Alex wasn't as hostile as Jack though. Although, John couldn't say that the ten year old had entirely forgiven him. Alex was a smart child, he would often find his son watching him out of the corner of his eye, studying him almost. There was certainly no fool in him.

They'd been down at the cottage for two days now, and they'd only left once to pick up a few provisions that Jack had insisted on. So far nothing had seemingly gone wrong. This worried John a fair bit. It was true he had been well hidden here for several years, but no one had been looking for him. And Landermere wasn't an unobvious place; Ian and him had often come down here a lot when they were children during the summer break. It would not take Scorpia or Rothman long to make the connection with this place and send their own agents to check it out.

"Dad."

John was shaken out of his thoughts. He was still not quite used to the term 'Dad.' He wasn't overly used to the concept of him actually being a father and every time he was addressed as one it took his mind a few seconds to catch up with himself.

"Dad, do you want to play football?" Alex was standing by the back door, his face flushed from exercise and the cold. He had a red football tucked under his arm.

John smiled, "Alright then, I'll be out in a minute." He stood up from the kitchen table. Alex beamed and ran back outside.

John made his way over to the front door to find his shoes, Ian was lying across a sofa in the front room, skimming through a book. "Where did Alex get that football from?" John asked his brother.

Ian glanced up briefly, "he said he found it, in that old shed outside."

John froze for a second, but it went unnoticed by Ian who was already glancing through the book again. "Oh right," he said normally and picked up his shoes.

Alex was kicking the football up against the wall of the cottage when John stepped outside. He pulled his coat around him in a vain attempt to keep some of the cold out.

The football hit the brick wall with another dull thud, spinning slightly on impact. Alex prepared himself to kick it back as it sailed through the air, but it never reached him. John had run forward and intercepted it, tapping the ball away with a huge grin on his face.

"No fair!" Alex yelled as he charged after his father, who was already half way up the garden.

"You can hardly ask me to play football with you and then not let me have the ball," John replied with, still managing to dribble the ball away from Alex. However he slowed down slightly when he realised that stealing a football of your son probably wasn't the most fatherly thing to do. But as soon as he did so, Alex was upon him. He tackled the football of him and sped off back towards the house. Damn, that kid was fast.

John shook his head slightly as he ran after his son.

Jack watched John and Alex play football outside through the kitchen windows. She had another mug of instant coffee in her hands. She'd come to the conclusion that she'd been drinking way too much of the stuff, and had promised herself she would cut back soon…eventually…

Alex started laughing when John picked him up in an attempt to get the football off him. Jack couldn't help it, a small smile broke out on her face when she saw Alex with his Father. It had been a bit awkward for them these past few days. Almost as if Alex didn't quite know how to react around his Father, and John didn't know how to react around his son. But it seemed that a football had somehow brought them a bit closer together. And from a side-glance, you wouldn't have thought that the two had only really acknowledged each other's existence a few days ago.

Jack sighed, leaving the kitchen and entering the front room. She sat down on the unoccupied sofa opposite Ian.

"What are you reading?" She asked Ian.

"A history of Essex," said Ian. He put the book down, "It's terrible…"

"Really?" Questioned Jack. "I thought you were completely absorbed in the words of…" she looked down at the cover. "Arnold Warbeck…"

Ian shook his head. "Only out of sheer boredom. I never was a fan of History."

"Weren't you?" Jack questioned whilst bringing her legs up onto the sofa. "I would have put you down as the history sort."

"Not really. I never liked it much at school." He put the book down on the floor and then looked back up at Jack. "That's your fifth coffee today Jack. If you're not careful you might turn into the stuff."

"Don't be such a kill joy," said Jack. "Besides, I've only had four. You miss counted."

"No I didn't," Ian replied. "You had two at breakfast. You had one at lunch and then you had another earlier which you tried to hide behind the microwave when I entered the kitchen. And that's not including the one in your hand at the moment."

Jack narrowed her eyes, "are you stalking me?" She asked.

Ian laughed, "no," he replied. "Why would I do that Miss Starbright?"

Jack paused for a second as if in thought, "Because I'm so wonderful and charming and brilliant…" she ticked the characteristics of on her fingers, "...and it's more entertaining than reading Arnold Warbeck."

Ian laughed again, "oh yeah, how could I forget that."

"Is that Sarcasm!" Jack exclaimed, looking offended.

There was then a thud from the kitchen as the back door swung open and Alex came running in. Ian tensed suddenly, ready to leap up.

"Ian!" Alex exclaimed. "Please can you come play football!"

Ian relaxed. "Alright, I'll be out in a second. I'm just going to hide the jar of instant coffee."

"What!" Yelled Jack, leaping up. But she wasn't fast enough. Ian was already in the kitchen. "Ian! Come back!"

Alex laughed as he watched Jack lunge for Ian and just miss him.

***AR***

Ian and John had gone back inside, and Alex was sat on an old garden table throwing the ball at a wall of the cottage and catching it.

"Alex!" Jack called from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes!"

"Okay!" he called back and jumped down off the table. He started to walk through the garden towards the shed, whistling to himself. He was going to put the football back, because if it did belong to someone then they would go looking for it in there.

However as he got closer to the shed he got the feeling something was wrong. There was a weird humming noise, and it was coming from the direction of the shed. Alex slowed down slightly, what could be making that noise? He certainly hadn't seen anything in there earlier that was capable of such a noise.

He then spotted the light. It was spilling out from the bottom of the shed door. Alex stopped. That certainly wasn't right.

Alex looked back up at the cottage, he could see Jack and his Dad through the kitchen windows. He looked back at the shed. The light and funny noise were still there.

Alex cautiously approached the shed, bringing up his hand to grasp the rusted handle. He gave the door a large tug…

**Sorry for the cliff hanger!**

**I hope you liked this chapter - i know the story is a bit slow but it's going to heat up soon - i have to try and get the plot in a bit. **

**Anyways please R and R because all the nice comments make me feel warm and bubbly inside :D **

**I'm also thinking of doing another fanfic - but a Harry Potter one! Based on the Marauder era - but with a slight twist! I'm not entirely sure why i'm telling you this - i'll put it down to boredom because there's nothing decent on the telly at the mo...**


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